Em is a PhD student based at the European Centre of Environment and Health (ECEHH) with an interest in people’s relationship with the natural environment. Em first joined the ECEHH as Project Co-ordinator for the BlueHealth project in 2017. Whilst working on Bluehealth she completed the MSc in Environment and Human Health investigating how a psychological connection to nature could overcome the barrier of physical distance to visiting blue spaces for recreation. After Bluehealth finished she stayed with the University to work on the SEACHANGE project. Em returned to the ECEHH as a PhD student in January 2023 as part of the RENEW project (Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach).

Em’s research focuses on understanding how people perceive biodiversity, and the parameters which most strongly affect their emotional responses to changes in biodiversity in order to better inform messaging strategies for encouraging pro-biodiversity behaviour. Whilst simultaneously recognising the possible health and wellbeing benefits from encouraging more people to connect with nature.